David Cassidy Reported to Be Conscious but Still in Critical Condition

David Cassidy, star of the ‘70s TV show The Partridge Family, is conscious in a Florida hospital but still in a critical condition after suffering organ failure last week, it’s been reported. The singer, 67, is said to be in urgent need of a liver transplant.

A spokeswoman told the Press Association (via the BBC) that was awake and surrounded by his family, following reports that he’d been put into a medically-induced coma as a result of kidney failure and other ailments. Cassidy revealed earlier this year that he was suffering dementia and had ended his touring career to concentrate on enjoying his life. He added that he’d been finding it increasingly difficult to play guitar as a result of arthritis.

In February he toldPeople magazine that dementia ran in his family and his mother had struggled with the disease. “In the end, the only way I knew she recognized me is with one single tear that would drop from her eye every time I walked into the room,” he said. “I feared I would end up that way.”

He added, “I was in denial, but a part of me always knew this was coming. I want to focus on what I am, who I am and how I’ve been without any distractions. I want to love. I want to enjoy life.”

Cassidy played Keith Partridge in the hit TV show from 1970 until 1974. He was 20 years old when the series made him a household name.